Belgrade hosts parliamentary conference on BRICS

BELGRADE - An international parliamentary conference titled BRICS - Serbia Among Friends was held in the Serbian parliament on Monday.

BRICS is open to all countries, poses no threat to any country's sovereignty and sets no conditions for cooperation, it was noted at the conference.

Hosted by Movement of Socialists MPs, the conference was attended by ambassadors and diplomats from the Russian Federation, China, Belarus, Venezuela, the UAE, Iran, Cuba, Palestine, Algeria, Mexico, Kazakhstan, Brazil and Myanmar.

In a speech before a packed audience, Movement of Socialists leader Aleksandar Vulin noted that the large number of people in attendance reflected their civic courage as they disagreed with exclusive membership in the EU.

"You have to be brave to say you do not want to join the EU. That is democracy - the right to choose," Vulin said, adding that courage was demonstrated by advocating one's own beliefs.

He noted that the main goal of the event was to inform Serbia of the possibilities that were ahead of it, and asked who had decided that the majority in Serbia was pro-EU.

"A desire to be a part of the European world is our great treasure but, in the life of every state, you are governed by interests. The Serbian national interest is a sovereign Serbia - a Serbia that makes its decisions independently - a Kosovo-Metohija within state borders, not turning our back on traditional friendships, a Serbian world and military neutrality," Vulin said.

"Every step closer to the EU means moving away from Serbia, our sovereignty and our friends," he noted.